Adios 2009, Hello 2010

So, that was 2009.

Hopefully it has been a great year to all of you. It has certainly has for me. Fruitful experiences in 2009 which also includes worked like a dog, being hospitalised for 2 weeks + medical leave for almost a week, worked like a dog, shifted office, became a home owner, became a landlord, worked like a dog, went to see lots of crappy movies and dreaming everyday to buy Kawasaki ER6-N (haha). Highlights for the year was in fact receiving the keys to my apartment in late March which was an extremely good feeling.

Check out this mashup of 2009 #1 Hits based on Billboard by DJ Earworm. This pretty much sums up my year! =)



As for #002, i'm afraid i'm still not able to find the right and the best apartment for my next project so #002 will be the #1 priority for my 2010 resolution along with a new job! ;) more update on this soon.

Happy New Year Folks! Make sure no regrets and hope you find what you are looking for this year. If you dont know what to find, then think of something to find yeah?

Adios 2009. Hello 2010.

Indahria Residents Association (IRRA)

I was just googling Indahria and i have managed to find that Indahria Apartment Resident Association has an online blog Well done to the residents! I'm very sure that this is one step closer in creating a better living community of our own. Its unfortunate that i am not living there myself but i'm glad to know that residents of Indahria has its very own residents association and also a blog! Well done! I have also included the link on this site, and on the blog there is also an email address that any residents can email with regards to anything about Indahria eg. feedbacks, complaints, etc. I would believe that all owners/tenants/residents of Indahria are welcomed to participate in all activities of this community.

Browsing through all the articles inside IRRA's blog, there is a very concerning article which was rightly named Apartment Safety ! What Say You ? A must read for all residents/owners/tenants of Indahria. A very very concerning article and i must say thank you to the folks who had the time to point this out. Now i want to know what the management going to do about it.

#002

Hi all, it has been a while since my last post. It has been an eventful past 3 months (hospitalised, shifted office, etc, etc) Just a quick update about my apartment, it has been 3 months since my tenant moved in and so far there hasnt been any issues (hopefully). I like to think that my tenant love the place and will take care of my first ever property (#001).

Referring to the title post, i am right now seriously searching for my second property which i will call #002 from now onwards. The area that i'm searching is around Shah Alam & Sunway as i believe that there are high appreciation in this areas. Surely there are other areas that have higher appreciation than these two areas, but for a newbie like me, these areas suits me just fine.

Question that comes to mind now is whether to buy a yet to be built apartment or a proven good for rental apartment. I have several ideas in mind but i have yet to sit down and really think which one shall i call #002. Till the next post...

LRT Extension

Taken from LRT Extension
View Proposed Extension

The proposed Kelana Jaya LRT extension line will commence from Lembah Subang – Kelana Business Centre, through Subang, USJ, Alam Megah and ending at the hub in Putra Heights. The proposed line will consist of 13 new stations and approximately 17km of guideway.

The proposed Ampang LRT extension line will commence from the present Sri Petaling station, passing through Puchong, Kinrara and ending at the hub in Putra Heights. The proposed line will consist of 13 new stations and approximately 17.7km of guideway.

All stations will have facilities such as lifts, escalators,public telephones, suraus and toilets. The stations will also be equipped with facilities for the physically disabled such as ramps, lifts, tactiles, low ticket counters and toilets.

Both lines are expected to be commissioned by end of 2012.

Start Hunting! If you already have, well done!

Indahria Apartment Location Map

View Indahria Apartment / Pangsapuri Indahria in a larger map

Why Should I Invest in Real Estate?

Original article can be found here

I have been doing lots of thinking (more like calculating) lately regarding as to how can i own and manage more properties of my own and why i should be doing it in the first place. I even asked myself, why bother & why should i invest in real estate? Then i found this article over at about.com. Have a good read!


Most of the 1990's, The Standard & Poors Index posted earning yields of 5% to 6% on average. At the same time, the dividend yields of the S & P were only around 2% or less. Since dividend paying stocks tend to be much less volatile, the gains on the appreciation side would not normally be a significant factor.
At the same time, bond yields taken as a composite, showed only around 5% returns. Better yields were riskier, while safer bonds returned lower yields.

During the same time period, real estate investors were realizing much more attractive returns due to the multiple income streams from real estate investment:

Rental yield - This is the percentage yield from direct rental income, and can be calculated as either gross or net. Experienced investors prefer to calculate the Net Rental Yield, which takes the expenses, taxes and other costs into account, and divides by the property value/cost. It could be a negative cash flow, as it doesn't take mortgage payments into account. For this reason, many investors prefer to look at Cash-on-Cash rental yields. The example at the link shows a 6.4% example return on cash invested. Though the investor can purchase and manage for a yield on this single component that exceeds average stock or bond dividend yields, it is only one of the ways in which real estate returns on your investment.

Appreciation - Rental properties normally appreciate in value with inflation. Increased value can mean sale and reinvestment in higher value properties, or provide an equity line of credit to use for other investments. This is the second, and a historically proven value component of real estate investment return.

Inflation is Rent-Friendly - Rents usually increase with inflation, while mortgage payments on the property remain stable. This increases cash flow, with more rent income without increased expense for holding the property. When inflation is up, it can also mean more renters, as the affordability of homes can be negatively impacted by inflation. More renters increases demand, so rents can escalate.

Leverage - Using leverage, while being careful to buy properties with good rental yields, provides greater returns. Using $100,000 to purchase three properties with down payments, instead of one for $100,000 cash, can greatly increase returns. Of course, all leverage involves risk, so the successful investor must understand how leverage impacts their real estate investments.

Paying down the loan - Amortization, or paying down the loan, frees up more investment resources to increase leverage. Some investors use increased equity in one property to free up funds to invest in others.

Property improvement for equity - Many investors intentionally purchase properties at a value because they lack some feature or could use some improvements in condition or amenities. They have calculated that the value of the improvements will exceed the cost, resulting in an immediate increase in equity.

Slowly but Surely

I guess its time for me to look for new projects and new development. A lot of good developments around in Shah Alam coming up.. As we all know, currently we are experiencing some sort of an economic downturn but the property market is still flourishing in Malaysia and to anyones surprise, people are still buying new properties. Just have a look on your daily newspapers! Theres tonnes of new housing development and all are offering affordable packages and people are still buying. Economic downturn? Theres something for everyone! You just have to look carefully. Indahria will be coded (#001) from now onwards for my future reference. Hopefully by the end of year i can add up a new property (#002) to my listing.

Moving forward, everything is looking pretty good. The tenancy agreement is all completed and will be given to my tenant to be signed. Didnt even manage to become a resident of my own home but i believed i made the right decision by renting my place out. My passive income column is growing, slowly but surely.

Tenant Found!

Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a winner!

The apartment has now found its new tenant today and i hope that this would be a great and long win-win situation between myself and my tenant. As i have previously mentioned, i was in no hurry to find a tenant but hey, why not? Of the many types/places that i have put up my ad (mudah.my, forums, etc, etc) my tenant found my ad from a channel that many of us would not even think of putting up an ad there but it definitely works for me (& i am not telling how) Boo!Hoo!

More stories regarding this later. In the mean time, i am getting myself occupied with a Tenancy Agreement to prepare, got minor repairs and adjustments need to be done to the apartment, final checks with the management office to be sorted out and heyyy, finally, postive cash flow starts flowing... i can just feel it.

Apartment for Rent

Monthly rent: RM 1 000
Bedrooms: 3
Type: Apartments, For Rent
Size: 1008 sq.f

- Brand new unit facing Federal Highway
- 3 bedrooms + 2 bathrooms- 15 minute walk to KTM Batu Tiga
- Easy access to Tesco, Giant, Stadium Shah Alam
- Nearby to MSU & PTPL College

Facilities/Amenities:
* 1 Carpark
* 2 A/C Units (master bedroom & living hall)
* Lights & Fans (all rooms & living hall)
* Curtain Railings (all rooms & living hall)
* Shower Railings
* Water Heater (master bedroom)
* Window Grill
* Simple Kitchen Cabinet

- Deposit 2 + 1 + RM400 (utility)
- View to appreciate
- Agents are more than welcome
- Available immediately!
- Please sms/email me your name and contact number and i will contact you back if i am not available to answer the call
- Interested parties please email/call/sms:

Spring Cleaning #4

Went to Indahria yesterday & did a massive spring cleaning to the place. Washed the whole house & wipe all windows, grills & railings. Good day indeed. It has been almost 4 months since i have received the keys & i have decided to rent the place out as i am in no hurry to stay here just yet. Its time to do some massive advertising & marketing promotion to get the place rented out before August.

Checklist of items that i will be providing:

• 2 air conditioners (master bedroom & living hall)


• lights & fans (all rooms & living hall)


• curtain railings (all rooms & living hall)


• water heater (master bedroom)


• window grill


• simple kitchen cabinet


• shower railings

Simple Kitchen Cabinet Installed

Managed to get the kitchen cabinet installed last week. Although its nothing great (compared to the previous showrooms) but to me it is definitely better than the what the developer gave initially. I actually wanted to build doors for the cabinets but i postponed the idea as i think this might actually work without using doors. In the event that i'm renting the place out & the tenant wants doors to the cabinet, it can easily be done. In the middle of the cabinet, there is a roughly 1 inch hole to fit gas tubes in the event it will be used as a cooking area.

It has been a while since i last posted anything here. Anyway, here are some pics:

Night Mode

Surprisingly I have never been to my house at night, so after work today decided to visit my own house at night and take some night pictures of my house. To all home owners out there, its a great feeling isnt it? To those who are about to take the plunge, take it! Its worth it! The feeling is abso-fckn-lutely great! Haha! Equipped with a lousy camera phone but a reliable one i went. Thinking to myself, not bad eh... Heard from another resident that there was a residents meeting last Sunday. Anyone went? Would love to come but unfortunately was working during the weekend so cant make it. Yes, unfortunately i have to sometime work on weekends also.

The Balcony

The Yard (more like the dungeon)

Living Area

Master Bedroom (lights are meant to be for reading)

Master Bedroom (study & work area)

Couch Potato Zone (scouse free zone)

The Grill (overlooking living hall)

Kitchen (cabinet will be installed next week)

Spring Cleaning #3

Update: The apartment is starting to look more like a home now. All lights, air-conditioning, switches are in order. Major spring cleaning is scheduled for next Monday, 01-JUNE-2009.

Spring Cleaning #2

Just some updates about the progress of my uber-cool-home ;)

New Name, New Address

Guess what i found in my cute mailbox in Indahria. A notice/letter by management informing me that Pos Malaysia Bhd has given the final approved address of Pangsapuri Indahria & here is the full address now. Update!

Pangsapuri Indahria
Persiaran Jubli Perak
Seksyen 22
40300 Shah Alam
Selangor Darul Ehsan

Haih, first the name change from Indahrisa to Indahria, now the address is also changed. Can the developer change the location to perhaps somewhere in KLCC?

LOL!

15th Floor Showroom

I envy this 15th showroom @ Indahria. It shows how you can utilise tiny space into a comfortable living home. See for yourself!